by Sara Smith
​
Welcome back to another edition of My Top 15! This year, my picks are a bit darker and a bit more more mature than they have been in the past, but that may be a indictment on my mental state. I've been really intrigued by some of the more gritty and gripping stories that have been produced this year. I also served on School Library Journal's Best Manga of 2024 committee, so there's definitely going to be some overlap. As always, these are the favorite of what I've read this year, so some of these books may have been published in previous years and I just finally got around to them.

​All of these books were rated 9/10 or 10/10 -- but this is not every book I've rated that high this year! These titles had fantastic art, gripping storylines, stood out in their respective genres, or made me feel feelings. I hope you enjoy or find some of your favorites among this list, or discover some new and exciting reads!

Reviews marked with the following symbols will require premium subscriptions, or searches in your favorite library purchasing program: Booklist* or ​School Library Journal+.

by Sara Smith 
​
Welcome back to school 2024! 

​As you head back to your libraries and (hopefully) have some money to spend, check out my recommendations for some hot new titles from 2024 to purchase for your libraries that your students will (hopefully, again) enjoy! Some of these titles might just be new to me that I discovered over the last year, but others are new releases for all of us.

Some of these reviews require subscriptions to read: Booklist* or School Library Journal+​.

by Sara Smith 
​
First published - 4/18/2021
​
Not sure where to start with buying manga for your library? Don't worry, you're not alone.  This is probably the #1 question I get from school librarians.  So, to help you and many others out, here is a list of recommendations to start.

These series have stood the test of time and will hopefully make every scarce budget dollar be well worth it, but I've also linked full reviews so you can check them out for yourself and make sure they're right for your library collection.

by Sara Smith 
​
First published: 5/7/22
​
Finding appropriate manga for elementary readers can be difficult! Here's a quick list of all the manga I've reviewed that is appropriate for this age group and to which I gave a rating of 7/10 or more. I'll keep adding as I review more, so you might want to bookmark this page and check back to see what else I've found.

Additionally, you should definitely check out this list compiled by Ashley Hawkins, the Manga Librarian, which might have some overlap.

Note: These titles are listed in alphabetical order by title of series​.

by Sara Smith
​
This year, my reading challenge was a modest 200 books, a far cry from the heigh of 2020 where I had the goal of a book-a-day. But, this feels like a good balance between work, life, and reading! And, I still managed to find 15 great books with some honorable mentions while pumping out many reviews for Booklist  and the site, and even finding time to squeeze in School Library Journal this year. I hope you find some great books below to include in your collections!

(Note: any review marked with an * may require a Booklist​ subscription to read, or you might be able to find it among your favorite library purchasing software)

by Sara Smith 
​
First published: 10/15/22
​
Here's a quick list of all the manga I've reviewed that is appropriate for this middle school libraries and to which I gave a rating of 8/10 or more. As there are so many middle school titles to include, I also have a list of links to titles that received a rating of 7/10 at the end. I'll keep adding as I review more, so feel free to bookmark this page and check back to see what else I've found. 

I've also created a list of Good Manga for Elementary School Libraries. A lot of these titles would also be great for Middle School Libraries.

Additionally, you should definitely check out this list of manga and light novels, compiled by Ashley Hawkins, the Manga Librarian, which might have some overlap.

Note: These titles are listed in alphabetical order by title of series​.

The awesome KC Boyd held another Boss Librarian PD to get us all pumped-up for the school year, so of course I had to share my best titles to buy for this fall! Check out my resources below:

Slide Show
bit.ly/BossSuper

​Title List
bit.ly/BossSuperGNs

This Spring, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians held a virtual mini-conference with the theme, "Hope and Healing." My presentation for this conference was "Manga that Heals the Soul." After all, there is an entire genre of manga, "iyashikei", that is meant to heal the reader. Many of these stories have something to do with animals and nature, so you'll find tons of cute animals all over my presentation. Check out my resources below:​